No One Left to Come Looking For You, Sam Lipsyte

An inciteful look at Manhattan’s East Village in 1993 based around the punk rock setting of dive bars, shady weirdos, cliques, DIY music venues and drugs. A time when NYC was exciting, rents were low, and creative people could still live in the city and pursue their art. We follow Jonathan (who has recently changed his name to Jack Shit), a musician from NJ who has his bass presumably stolen by his roommate and lead singer in their band, the Shits. This is when things get confusing and interesting. Hera, the drummer, has moved on; Earl (his roommate and lead singer) goes missing; he meets a sadistic woman who may have a boyfriend (turns out she’s married) whom he starts seeing and telling about some nonexistent European rock tour his band will be going on, and then crimes and murders begin to shape. A cast full of characters (the band), a hired killer, a deranged if prophetic postwar novelist, a tough-talking cop… a suspense yet at times, funny turns… a love letter to a bygone era. Oh how we GenXers miss it so.